The Change
by KennethRose
Summary: Set after chapter 185 in the manga. Train Heartnet is back sweeping with Eve and Sven, but deep inside he is overrun with self-loathing and hate. Can Eve give Train what he needs to live, can she save him from himself before he turns back to the darkne
1. Chapter 1

**Well this story was once here on this site, but I took it down because of the pressure of schoolwork. I now realize that I can handle it, but updates will be slow in coming once I've posted chapter five of this story. KimiLavender, I apologise for taking it down at all :-)**

"SVEEEEEEEENNN!"

Said green-haired man felt like smashing his head repeatedly into a wall – preferably brick – at that moment but alas, while one was driving it wasn't exactly the best thing to do. The car lapsed into silence once again, and Sven was surprised when it was still quiet ten minutes later. Thinking that Train had finally fallen asleep, he smiled and kept his eyes on the road ahead. His assumptions about Train's state of consciousness however, could not have been further from the truth. Black Cat, the ex-Chronos eraser was most certainly not asleep, he was simply sick of keeping up the act of the happy, carefree person that he somehow managed to project to the outside world. Thinking that nobody was looking his way, his eyes darkened and he fell into his gloomy thoughts.

After defeating Creed nine months ago his life seemed meaningless; he had served his purpose, and now he felt empty. Sven had been – in secret, or so he had thought – dating Silphy Deacroft for the past three months, but had eventually come clean after Train and Eve had accidently walked in on the two in a rather…compromising position. Rins had been dating Jenos for the past five months and had somehow managed to overlook his 'ladies' man' attitude and accept his marriage proposal, and Eve – now sixteen - had started at a nearby school and became more beautiful every day – or at least Train thought so. Everybody else was moving along with their lives and Train could only watch as people around him changed and adapted, met new people, made new friends, visited new places, found love – everything that he wanted but for some reason couldn't seem to get, no matter how much he tried. He didn't have a place to call home, and he most certainly didn't have anybody that loved him. Depression didn't even come close to describing the dismal lows that he sometimes experienced – hell, he'd even contemplated, and attempted suicide once or twice, but what scared Train the most however, was the possibility that because of all the negativity welling up inside him he would turn back into the person he hated the most in the world: Black Cat – the perfect, emotionless, flawless Chronos eraser who killed without any hesitation whether it was a man, woman or child. He had done so much wrong in the twenty four years he had been alive, and the good that he had managed in the past few didn't do much to tip the scales of retribution in his favour, or sanity for that matter

He stared out of the window at the scenery flying past in a blur of colour, unrecognized by his thoughtful eyes.

Eve.

It seemed like such a long time ago since he had been holding a gun to her head, so long since his finger squeezed the trigger and then halted at the last possible moment – bare micrometres from her death. It made him feel sick; the fact that he had even thought about killing her made him feel ill – he simply couldn't see how he had done such a thing. He caught a glimpse of her bright yellow hair in his peripheral vision and smiled softly, his thoughts of self-disgust disappearing in an instant. Sven was like a brother to Train, and the two had a mutual understanding that that was the way it was – nothing needed to be said. Rins was like that annoying sister that people always talked about, but Eve; she was nothing like that. Train had thought long and hard about what she was to him and at first had found himself comparing his and Eve's relationship to the one he had had with Saya, but it soon became obvious that it was nothing of the sort. Train hadn't found himself blushing whenever he was touched by Saya, oh no. Saya didn't make him want to grin stupidly whenever he saw her, or any of the number of things that Eve brought to into Train's life.

Train's thoughts however, never allowed him to be truly happy for any substantial amount of time, and before long his eyes darkened once again as his self-loathing overtook him for the hundredth time that day. His dead eyes looked out over the landscape, unseeing and uncomprehending as his thoughts and memories consumed him – driving him almost to the point of madness.

As Train began to drift off into a troubled sleep, the young, blonde-haired girl sitting in the back of the car, her face hidden behind the cover of a book, looked at the ex-eraser's reflection in the glass window with a deep emotion in her rich, violet eyes and a small tear running down her cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

After yet another day of sweeping, Train was finally alone. Ever since he could remember he would always come out onto the roof of whatever house he was staying in and think…and drink milk. He smiled indulgently as he popped the cap off the bottle he'd managed to convince Sven to buy him earlier in the day and he actually managed to swallow half of the white drink before the memories of Zaguine forced him to stop guzzling his favourite treat. After a moment of trying to calm his stomach, and failing, he set the half-empty bottle aside and lay back on the shingles, nuzzling into his black Chronos jacket and staring at the stars. Sven had thought that he'd sold it, but to part with something that had been a part of him for so long seemed somewhat sacrilegious – much like leaving Hades. When he ran from Chronos he had made sure to grab his trustworthy weapon on the way out – and he was sure he would've done the same had it been his coat. His eyes were just drifting closed when a slight tinkle reached his ears, and a small smile crept over his face.

He waited until the next movement before speaking. "Evening princess."

There was silence for a moment, but a sigh followed shortly after – the young girl abandoning any attempt at sneaking up on the older sweeper. She lightly landed next to him and sat hugging her knees for warmth. A comfortable silence engulfed the pair; something that the two of them never seemed to have trouble with, and it surprised Train that she was the one to break the hush. "Train, why are you sad?"

The smile that had been on his lips ever since the young sweeper sat down slowly faded, and was instead replaced by a serious expression. "I'm not sad." The look on her face clearly betrayed her disbelief at his words, and her expression was not lost on the black-haired man. He let out a sigh and closed his eyes. "I guess it was a bit too much to think that I could hide it from you huh?" He cracked an eye open and looked at her face, but rather than finding out what she was thinking he instead found his breath taken away. The young blonde had her head tilted towards the sky with her eyes closed and a gentle smile on her soft lips, the moon illuminating her pale white skin in the darkness.

She slowly cracked her eye open and looked at Train, who by this time was staring at her with wide eyes and a hanging jaw. Seeing his expression she frowned. "What?" Train blushed furiously and returned to his own star gazing, trying in vain to get his heartbeat under control. After another moment she answered his question. "And yes, it was far too ambitious." He gave her a slight chuckle and nodded to himself as if confirming his own suspicions. Seeing that her companion wasn't going to be very forthcoming with any information she probed for an answer. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Again, another silence ensued but after a few moments the black-haired sweeper answered – but not in the way that Eve had imagined he would. "Princess, do you like seeing me like this?"

"What?" She looked at him, offended.

"Well, you always said that you would never lose to me and that you'd surpass me. You always wanted to be stronger than me, and now you are. Are you happy?" He hadn't meant to cause her any offence but his words hit her harder than he could've possibly imagined. A sharp crack echoed out in the night, and Train looked at Eve with a look of complete and utter bewilderment on his normally emotionless features, his hand held tightly to his smarting cheek. She looked at him with a look of anger and sadness, and when tears begun to run down her cheeks Train gasped in surprise. He reached out to try and wipe the watery trails from her face, but found his hand pushed roughly aside. "Eve?"

She sobbed for a moment; her face buried in her hands, before she lifted her head and looked directly into his eyes, the tears still leaking from her violet orbs. "No, I hate you being like this Train!" She dissolved into another fit of sobbing and Train could only sit, clueless about what to do while she wept. After another minute she spoke, her voice shivering as she forced back the sobs. "I used to want to beat you Train, I used to want to be stronger, I used to want to do what you do, but now I don't want any of that; I don't want any of that because I know that if I have something else then I don't need any of it." Her puffy red eyes looked into his clear yellow ones, and before he knew what was happening he found himself wrapped in a tight embrace from the young woman, her head buried into his chest and her body heaving with sobs. In-between sobs she managed to squeeze out a single sentence. "It hurts seeing you like this."

Train was astounded. He'd never seen Eve like this before in his entire life, he'd never seen her so emotional, so defenceless...so lost. Gently he wrapped his arms around her and pulled his jacket over her shivering body, holding her to his chest soothingly. After quite some time, Eve's shuddering began to subside and she stilled on his chest. He continued to hold her in an embrace, and after a few minutes of silence he spoke quietly. "Are you okay?" After her nod he lowered his head shamefully. "I'm sorry."

She raised her head and looked at his face in confusion. "What for?"

"I shouldn't have said that."

He was silent until he felt something smooth and warm touch his cheek, and he unconsciously nuzzled it before freezing when he realized just what it was. Eve had reached up with her hand and was gently stroking his exposed cheek with a smooth, pale thumb, her violet eyes glittering in the moonlight. "Don't be sorry, just tell me why – please?"

He knew he shouldn't be this close to Eve, he knew he should take her hand away from his cheek, he knew that he shouldn't tell her anything, and he definitely knew that Sven would kill him if he ever found out that this happened, but Train was done fighting. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply before speaking. Hearing Train's voice, Eve immediately looked up at his face and listened. "I look around every day, and I see all these people going about their lives. I see people changing Eve, I see people doing things that need done, I see people working for a _purpose._ I see you going to school, I see Sven and Silphy, I see Jenos and Rins, and you're all moving along with your lives." He cracked open his eyes and looked up at the stars above; unaware that Eve had no desire to look upwards; instead paying attention to his golden orbs. "I feel like I'm stuck. I look around and I'm the only one _not_ changing.

"You're at school now, and everyone else I know has found someone who loves them back – hell, even Kyoko and Charden found each other." He sighed and closed his eyes once again. "I have no purpose anymore; Creed's gone; Chronos isn't interested in me anymore; and Sven and you don't need me around – you're both more than capable of taking care of yourselves." A sad, lonely smile crossed his lips. "I'm alone." Eve looked at the man beneath her in astonishment; he used to be so full of energy. She lay there for quite some time, and was half asleep when Train's voice rung out in the silent night. "What _did_ you want?"

She nuzzled closer to Train's chest and mumbled almost incomprehensively. "For you not to leave me."

Train's eyes widened in complete astonishment, and he looked down at the young sweeper with no small amount of curiosity; what did she mean by _that_? He was just about to ask exactly what she'd meant, but stopped short when he felt her slow, even breathing on his chest.

He froze.

Her _chest.._.it wasn't overly hard for Train to feel her body pressed against his, and he immediately felt a heated blush spread across his face when he realized just which parts of her were pressed firmly against his own. Gently so as not to wake the sleeping woman up, he cradled her in his arms and stood up from his vantage point over the city, and after taking one last look at the glittering canopy above them, Train headed inside. He quietly tiptoed through the house, very careful not to wake the sleeping Sven, and entered Eve's room after some careful navigation around the dirty clothes strewn haphazardly on the floor of the hallway.

Gently he laid the beautiful blonde sweeper between the covers on her bed and softly pulled the sheets over her young body, trying not to notice her perfect curves as he did so. He was just about to tiptoe out of her room when something caught his eye under her pillow. Gently he pulled the small square of paper from under the fabric, and couldn't help but gasp at the picture printed on it. Train was lying on the roof, asleep in his Chronos jacket and Eve was…in her pyjamas… kissing him? His eyes widened at the sight and he peered closer at the image to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Sure enough, his assumptions were correct; Eve had her lips pressed lightly to his, and a small blush covered her moonlit features. A small, silver thread curved from Eve's shining, golden hair, and out around the image before disappearing out of the edge of the picture – that explained how she took the photo but it didn't explain why she was kissing him! He looked at the image again and squinted at something on the surface of the paper, something that was barely visible. He crept over to the window and pulled back the curtain enough to allow small sliver of moonlight to hit the picture in his hand. On the picture there were small, faint marks where a pair of lips had been pressed against the glossy surface and that only meant one thing.

Train turned to look at the sleeping woman with wide eyes; she had a picture of her kissing him _under her pillow_, that picture was covered in lip marks, he was never allowed in her room, and she had said that she never wanted him to leave her. Train's head was filled with questions and thoughts, and he quickly replaced the image under her pillow before making a hasty exit and retreating to the lounge to think. After he had sat down on the couch – a stunned look still present on his features – he began attempting to sort out his thoughts. What did this mean? Did she like him? Was it just a crush or did she really love him? He immediately pushed the last thought out of his head; there was no way in heaven or hell that someone as pure and beautiful as her could love a person like him. He dredged up old memories, he pulled out Sven's photo albums, and he thought. He slowly tired, and by the time the clock had struck three in the morning, his eyes began to drift shut. He sunk back onto the couch and begun falling asleep, but not before one last image drifted through his mind; she had kissed him – maybe she did like him, maybe she loved him, maybe there was hope. For the first time in months Train drifted into a deep sleep uninterrupted by dreams, a small smile on his lips.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well here's the second chapter! Took me a while to write and it's a bit longer than the previous one. Now just as a note of recognition, I AM aware that Eve was 13 at the end of the manga, and Train was 23. Since it's set a year after the manga, their ages should be 14 and 24 respectively, but the fact that this is an EvexTrain pairing and the rating _might_ change at a later date made this somewhat implausible. As such in this story Eve is 16 years old, which should clear up matters should the rating change at a later date…at least in my country. I really hope you enjoy the chapter, and please R&R if you have the time!**

* * *

"Good morn—Hey! You're not Eve!" Train glared at the green-haired man above him accusingly, and said green-haired man looked at train as if he had just been slapped in the face.

"What do you mean I'm not Eve?"

Their roles were instantly reversed, and now accusing look spread across Sven's face, causing Train to shrink back into the couch. "Now now Sven, don't let your fatherly instincts take over."

"Fatherly instincts? Why the hell were you expecting Eve when you woke up?"

Train broke into a nervous sweat; if Sven found out that Eve woke him up every morning by stroking his cheek and smiling at him then there would be absolute hell to pay. He scratched the back of his head and then –by habit alone- proceeded to stretch out much like a cat would – Eve had assured him the previous morning that it was very cute – before looking at the suspicious sweeper standing above him. "Eve normally wakes me up in the mornings to say goodbye before she goes to school." He shrugged and sat up in the chair before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "No biggie Sven-daddy."

The green-haired man gritted his teeth angrily. "How many times do I have to tell you _not_ to call me Sven-daddy?"

Train stood up and dragged himself lethargically into the kitchen, popping open a bottle of milk from the fridge before answering. "I don't know Sven-daddy, how many times has it been so far?" Train's eyes glinted mischievously at the angered sweeper, and before he knew what was happening the milk had been snatched from his hand and thrown out of the open window. A second later there was a muted smash followed by an outraged yell from an unlucky bystander. Train glared at the – now very cheerful – Sven. "That was my last bottle."

The green-haired man grinned jubilantly. "I know."

Five minutes later and Train opened the door to the apartment, yelling out to the man sitting at the table behind him. "I'm going to go and get some milk." He stressed the milk, but the white-suited man simply raised a hand in understanding and continued fiddling with the disassembled attaché case that was spread out over the wooden table. Train growled at the lack of regret in the man's answer and closed the door behind him, walking down the steps and out onto the sunny street. About halfway to the store he felt something scratch on his arm, and when he pulled up his sleeve to investigate a tiny piece of paper fell out from its hiding place. He unfolded the small note and proceeded to grin at the elegant handwriting that was scribbled on the surface.

_Don't let Sven see this, but I've got a bottle of milk for you at school. Oh, and I didn't wake you up this morning because you looked like you were having a good sleep._

_Eve XX_

Changing direction, he headed away from the dairy and began walking towards where Eve attended school, a cheeky grin on his face. The cheekiness soon dropped out of the smile however, and all that was left was warmth; ever since that night on the rooftop a week ago he'd been sleeping far better, and the fact that Eve woke him up by stroking his cheek and smiling certainly helped matters when it came to his mood during the day. He found himself whistling happily down the paved roads, and didn't mind the odd looks he got; it wasn't often that one saw a sweeper looking so happy. When he reached the gates to Eve's school he stopped and looked around in confusion when he beheld the empty courtyard. After quite a few minutes of searching he slapped himself on the forehead; of course nobody was outside, it _was_ a school after all. Dejectedly he went over to one of the nearby benches and sat down, peering at his watch as he did so. When he saw that it would be another two hours before their lunch time he groaned loudly and put his head in his hands.

"And just who are you?"

Train lifted his head and turned to face the owner of the disapproving voice, and couldn't help a small groan escaping his lips when he saw what kind of person it was. The white-haired woman looked at Train disdainfully. "This is an all-girls school, what are you doing here and who are you?"

"I'm Eve's brother," he lied easily, "And I'm here to take her to her dentist's appointment."

He sighed internally with relief when he heard his smooth reply; it was lucky that he'd been thinking of excuses to get the Little Princess out of class mere moments earlier.

"No you're not." Train slowly looked up at the woman with a look of shock; it wasn't often he heard the word 'no' directed at him…unless it was from Sven. "Appointments must be logged at the main office forty eight hours before the engagement, and Eve has not filed any requests for leave."

He looked at the woman incredulously, "So you're not going to let me take Eve from class?" The stern woman nodded firmly and Train sighed.

"The only way any teacher would let Eve out of class would be if it was a family emergency, and the dentist definitely doesn't count as one of them." She glared at the young man, missing the look of joy on his face, and firmly ordered him to leave the school grounds. The black-haired sweeper marshalled his face into a dispirited expression and walked towards the main gates, watched all the way by the stern office lady. Once he had disappeared from her sight he let the mischievous grin spread across his face. He jumped up onto the top of the large, concrete wall and watched happily as the angry office lady stormed back into the huge school complex. He was just starting to contemplate just how he'd find Eve in such a place when something flashed in his eye. He squinted for a second and then set about looking for the origin of the light. When he located just where the glare had come from he smiled. On the very top storey of the large building there was a blonde girl sitting by the window, an inconspicuous smile on her face as she pretended to pay attention to the teacher inside while she blatantly gave away her position to the man below using her watch to reflect the light of the sun.

Chuckling at her deviousness he leapt from the wall back into the school grounds before sprinting like he had never sprinted before, barely a blur to anybody's eyes with a large grin on his face and laughter bubbling up inside him; he felt so alive! He flew past the irritable office lady – making sure to give her a good push on the way – and begun running full tilt up the stairs. In a mere matter of seconds he had reached the floor that the young, blonde sweeper was on and proceeded, with immense glee, to rip the classroom door open and interrupt the lesson taking place inside. The teacher turned angrily to reprimand the troublemaker who had dared to interrupt her class, but was taken aback when she saw the puffing young man standing outside, a gun strapped to his thigh and a sly grin on his face. Getting over her shock she immediately frowned at Train. "What is the meaning of this?"

Paying the teacher no heed whatsoever, Train stalked quickly across the room towards the blonde girl who was attempting – in vain – to hide her gleeful smile. Quickly swiping the books off her desk and into her bag only took a matter of seconds, and he swung the small satchel over his shoulder before grabbing Eve's arm and pulling her along with him, pausing only to give the teacher an answer was most likely _not_ synonymous with 'satisfactory' in the teachers mind, "Family emergency," before tearing off down the hallway with the excited squeals of the girls left behind in the classroom echoing behind them. Once the two had escaped the school – or rather the angry office lady who had chased them halfway down the road – they collapsed to the grass in a nearby park, catching their breaths and laughing hilariously at the parting expression they had received from the outraged receptionist.

After quite some time their laughs quietened and Train sat up to look at Eve lying peacefully on the grass; her eyes closed, the sun lighting up her face and her long golden hair fanned out around her head. He couldn't help but stare, and when she cracked an eye open and caught him staring he immediately looked away, a rare blush on his cheeks. He missed the warm smile that spread across her lips, and only looked back when she threw him a bottle of milk – his hand shooting out and catching it on pure instinct alone. He gave her a thankful grin and popped off the cap before emptying the bottle in a matter of seconds. His sigh of satisfaction was quickly followed by Eve's, and Train looked over at the young woman in surprise when he caught sight of the empty milk bottle held in her hand. "I thought you didn't like milk?"

She shook her head and smiled at him – inadvertently causing his stomach to flip – before answering. "It grew on me." Train smiled and lay back on the grass, letting his eyes fall closed and simply focused on enjoying the sun's warmth on his skin. A moment later the silence was broken by a question from Train's female companion. "Why did you come so early? You could've just waited until lunch time you know."

He couldn't hide the blush on his cheeks, but he hoped that she would just put it down to the heat of the sun. He couldn't really tell her that he just wanted to see her, could he? Deciding that no, he couldn't, he answered a moment later. "Well Sven threw my milk out the window because I called him Sven-daddy, and when I found your note I was heading to the dairy." He shrugged in what he hoped was a convincing manner. "Your school was closer." He was lying through his teeth, and both Eve and him knew it.

She sighed and lay back on the grass, keeping an eye partially open to watch Train's reaction to her next words. "I guess it was too much to think that you came to just see me then." She wasn't disappointed in the least; his eyes shot wide open and his head snapped to look at her. The smile on her lips clearly showed that she had busted him, and her next words were very musical. "I thought so."

He gurgled for a few moments before letting out a humph and dropping his head back on the ground with a thud. "That was mean Eve." Her happy giggle certainly made up for the teasing, but when Train asked his next question her mood became more serious. "You've been laughing more lately."

She was silent for a moment, and when Train looked over he saw her violet eyes looking up at the sky – uncertain and thoughtful. After a moment her resolve hardened. "It's because you're happy." He turned to her, shocked and about to say something, but the beautiful young blonde wasn't finished. "I hated seeing you sad because I care about you, and when you thought nobody was looking you let your true self show and you were miserable." She hugged her knees to her chest, much like she had the other night while Train looked at her, amazed that she was actually telling him this; showing him this side of herself; the side that she always kept hidden. After a moment's silence she turned to him, her violet eyes serious and then said something that made his heart skip a beat. "I meant what I said that night – I'd never lie to you."

He had _not_ expected that, but he hastened to assure her all the same, putting an arm comfortingly around her shoulders and pulling her into a light embrace. "I'll always be here for you Eve; I'm like your brother after all!"

Her next words nearly broke his resolve to _not_ get involved with her. "I don't want you to be my brother," she turned her eyes upwards, meeting his gaze with an almost pleading look. "I want you to be _with_ me." Train couldn't move as her face came closer to his; he wanted it to happen, he knew the consequences and troubles he'd face but he had wanted this for so long that he wasn't going to deny his heart any longer. Gently her lips touched his, their softness drifting lightly across his mouth as if testing the waters, asking him a silent question. Train's answer was to place a hand lightly on the back of her head and pull her closer to him, pressing his lips firmly against hers and leaving no question as to what he felt in his heart. Eventually the tender kiss ended, and Train closed his eyes before resting his forehead against hers, panting slightly for breath.

After a moment he opened his eyes and found his gaze met by a rich purple gaze dancing happily and full of love; a message that he was sure was mirrored in his own yellow orbs. "Are you really sure about this Eve?" She nodded and he smiled warmly before pulling her onto the ground and into a light embrace. She snuggled comfortably against his chest, but froze when Train spoke. "Well you won't need to kiss that photo anymore." After a moment her head slowly turned upwards, and she looked at Train with an accusatory expression on her face. Train had a placating expression on his features, "Well sweetheart, I could hardly sit out there for the entire night could I? And when I put you into bed it was half visible." He watched her face change from being accusatory to embarrassed in less than five seconds flat, and he chuckled warmly before giving her a gentle squeeze. "Well I'm serious Eve; if you ever want a kiss or a cuddling session I'm all yours."

She raised an eyebrow, the cute blush still on her cheeks. "Only mine?"

He nodded and affectionately butted her forehead with his. "Only yours." He lay back on the grass and got comfortable while Eve curled up beside him and rested her head on his chest. "So I'm your boyfriend now then?" She nodded and hummed happily, causing Train to chuckle lightly, "I'd like that." After another moment Train remembered a rather important thing, something that could seriously affect their relationship. "What about Sven?"

Her eyes still closed, a Cheshire grin spread across her face. "Well the way I see it, it's like this." At Train's encouraging hum she continued, tracing swirls on Train's chest with her delicate finger. "Sven has Silphie, and we all know that they get quite passionate at times."

Train chuckled at the memory of their last…surprise acquaintance but he soon turned serious. "Yeah, but I'm 8 years older than you Eve – that's hardly normal in a relationship." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "If Sven finds out then he's not going to be happy."

Eve's next sentence pretty much ended the argument right there and then. "Well I am, and so are you." Train really didn't have an answer for that, and raised his eyebrows when he thought about what she said; in all honesty it was quite reasonable, and it wasn't like Eve wasn't _allowed_ to be with him. He closed his eyes and pulled her closer to him with a smile on his face, his eyebrows rising when he heard a bunch of secretive whispers behind a bush about twenty meters behind their heads. "Eve, your classmates are hiding behind that bush."

She sighed grumpily before freezing when she realized that she could show Train _exactly_ how much she cared. "Train?"

"What is it pri-" His sentence was quickly cut off when Eve placed her mouth over his and proceeded to passionately kiss the living daylights out of him, much to the delight of the crowd of schoolgirls hidden behind the nearby bush. After the need for air became a somewhat pressing issue, the petite young sweeper pulled back from the breathless Train and lay comfortably on his heaving chest. After regaining his breath he gently ran his hand through her soft, golden hair. "You do realize that your entire school is going to be talking about this tomorrow."

She nuzzled into his chest and smiled happily. "I couldn't care less."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I wrote this chapter (and part of the next one) while I was away tramping, and this week's been pretty hectic with schoolwork so I didn't have the time to type it all up – but I made time and here it is! I really hope you like it. Enjoy – and just for the record I don't own Black Cat, no matter how much I wish I did.**

"Train, are you ready yet?"

Sven's slightly irritated voice echoed into the ex-eraser's room, and said black-haired eraser looked at the woman in front of him in unease due to his current attire. Eve had –somehow- managed to pull Train out of his usual getup, stopped him from running to his old Chronos jacket, and into something that vaguely resembled what 'normal' people would wear. She had mercifully allowed the yellow-eyed sweeper to stick to his black colour scheme, and after a moment of surveying her work she stood back and nodded approvingly. "It suits you."

He grinned ear to ear at the compliment, but the smile dropped slightly when he looked down at his smart back top, jacket, and jeans. Raising his head to look at the beaming Eve, he regarded her with an uncertain and disbelieving look on his face; clearly questioning her fashion sense. The petite women put on an affronted expression, and was just opening her mouth to say something to the ungrateful Train when Sven's voice – far more nettled this time – rung out. "Train! The meeting is in ten minutes; get down here NOW!"

Stifling a curse – much to Eve's amusement – Train quickly slipped on his shoes and yelled back to the obviously hacked off, green-haired man. "Coming!"

Ten seconds later, after Eve had stealthily extracted herself out of Train's window and onto the street below, Train burst from his room and ran towards the door that was being held open by the angry sweeper that – by the looks of it – was now at a rolling boil temper-wise. As they walked down the stairs onto the street, Train was subjected to a large amount of ranting and criticism. "Do you want us to be late? Gosh, you're so unreliable; always late, always smart-mouthing me, always annoying Eve!" As Eve – waiting on the corner – came into view, the green-haired man finished the conversation with a rather harsh statement that made Train roll his eyes. "You're useless!"

Continuing onto the school, Eve hung back to walk with Train, and having heard Train getting told off for _her_ fussing over his clothing she quickly touched hands with the black-haired man in an apology. He made eye contact with the young woman and smiled, pulling her into a hug which – if Sven had seen it – could definitely lead to a serious misunderstanding, or an actual understanding as the case may be. Tonight was the teacher-parent meeting evening, and Train – quite understandably – was not exactly overjoyed about having been forced to attend the appointment; much to Train's expectations, the rumour – and proof – of his and Eve's relationship had spread like wildfire: the pictures of them kissing in the park spreading among virtually the entire school within moments of it happening. The subsequent story of Eve's hasty extraction from class only added to the gossip, and much to Train's displeasure, Eve had informed him that one of the younger girls' cell phone had been confiscated, and an hour later Eve had been called out of class to explain the pictures on the phone. When she came home and told Train about it, he wasn't overly worried; chances were that the picture was too far away to identify his face, the thing that he was more anxious about was how Eve was coping with all the gossip and whispering behind her back. It was when Sven informed him that he would be attending the interviews however, that Train became slightly apprehensive about his situation.

The nearer they got to the school, the more nervous he became, although Eve's hand grasping his comfortingly _did_ buoy his spirits somewhat. They passed through the gigantic gates – which at dusk and under the circumstances looked far more daunting and foreboding than they normally would have – and headed towards the main complex that was lit up in the coming darkness. They were met at the reception by a –thankfully – younger secretary, and once they had given Eve's name were sat in some chairs on the far side of the room to await Eve's interviews. Train really wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, but when he picked up the words 'Eve' and 'Principal' in the same sentence his head snapped to where the receptionist was sitting, and his ears perked up to eavesdrop on the conversation taking place over the phone. "Yes, I understand but Eve only had two intervie-" There was a pause for a second and a frown spread across the woman's face when she heard the person on the other end of the line. "Okay, I'll show them up right away." Still with a frown on her face, the receptionist walked over to them and motioned that they should follow her.

As they walked down the long hallway Train couldn't help but feel a growing sense of unease' the conversation that the young lady had been having on the phone had certainly made him feel less than comfortable, and judging by the death-grip Eve had on his hand, she felt much the same. After a long walk which Train though was there simply for the mere purpose of intimidation, they arrived at a door which proudly stated in big, black, bold letters "Principal." Eve looked up at Train worriedly, but was reassured by his supportive smile and gentle squeeze of her hand. The receptionist leant forward and placed a light knock on the dark wood, which was soon answered with a muffled, "Come in!"

Train and Eve gave each other once last glance before facing forwards and entering the office beyond. To say that both Train's and Eve's expectations fell quite short of the mark would be the understatement of the century; whereas Train was expecting a dungeon with an electric chair sat at the centre, the room was far more tasteful and somewhat…familiar. He looked around the blue room in wonder, and slowly began to recognize some small details and objects which made his eyes widen in surprise.

The woman who had been sitting behind the desk patiently watching the three people look around her office suddenly cleared her throat, which made two things happen. Firstly, Sven turned to her, smiled, and offered his hand, and secondly, both Eve and Train realized that they were still holding hands and immediately distanced themselves from each other – much to the amusement of the clear blue eyes of the principal who by now was shaking Sven's offered hand. "Welcome, all three of you."

Train's eyes boggled, and nearly popped out of their sockets when he heard the warm voice. His eyes immediately snapped upwards to look at the pretty face of the seated brunette. While Sven and Eve took two of the seats directly in front of the headmaster, Train – still in a state of shock – sat down in one of the chairs near the door. As Sven and the principal talked, Eve kept sneaking glances over at her boyfriend, attempting in vain to figure out the reason for his stupefied expression. "-So her schoolwork is fine; actually it's above fine: it's exemplary. I simply cannot find fault in anything she does in class."

Sven frowned at the woman. "Well that's great to hear, but if she's doing fine in school then why did you want to speak to me face-to-face? Surely you could've gotten another teacher to tell me thins and saved yourself the trouble?"

Her facial expression not changing, the principal sat forward in her chair ad rested her chin on her clasped hands. She gave a small nod at Sven's observation. "You are correct, but you are assuming that schoolwork was the only thing I wanted to talk to you about." At Sven's inquiring look, and Train and Eve's terrified ones, she opened a draw in her desk and pulled out a number of photos. When she placed them on the table for Sven to see there was no need for an explanation. Several blurry photographs showed Eve kissing and snuggling with a man in dark clothes, the only blessing was that Train's face was too fuzzy to be identifiable. Sven's eyes narrowed and he reached forward to pick up one of the photos. While Sven was glaring at the out-of-focus man in the photos the principal spoke. "As you can see by the build of the man, he is significantly older than Eve." She caught Train's eye for a moment before turning back to Sven and awaiting his answer.

When it came, it was low and very measured. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention; I assure you that it will be dealt with." He stood from his seat and Eve glanced up at his thunderous face worriedly. Not looking at the young sweeper, he gave the principal a civil nod and set off towards the door. "Train, we're leaving."

Just before Train could exit the door however, the headmistress spoke. "Actually Mr Vollfied, I would like to speak to Mr Heartnet for a moment in private." A questioning expression broke through the outraged expression for a moment, but he nodded his approval when he realized that he wasn't going to get an explanation.

Eve looked over at Train as she left the room. Looking scared at the prospect of being alone with Sven after what had just happened. The black-haired sweeper gave her a reassuring smile and mouthed his next words. "I'll be back as soon as I can." She gave him a weak smile and an inconspicuous nod, and then tentatively followed Sven from the office and down the hallway. Once the door had clicked shut behind them, Train stood from his seat and fell onto the sofa on the other side of the room, regarding the decor appreciatively. "I never thought I'd find you in a place like this." Out of the corner of his eye he carefully watched her movements and was surprised when he sensed the complete lack of hostility and killing intent in her stance.

She let out a light chuckle and his words and stood up from her chair before taking a seat next to him on the couch and pulling off her wig; allowing the blonde hair to cascade down past her shoulders. She kicked off her shoes and sighed indulgently as she sunk into the sofa. "What gave me away?"

Train – having calmed now that he realized that she was no threat – hummed thoughtfully for a moment, and then began outlining his thought process. "I know that you just love the colour blue, but it was hardly enough to get me suspicious – it was the laser tripwire in the hallway that really got me on my toes: most people don't really have that kind of stuff. And then I saw that." He pointed to the shard of metal suspended in a glass cube that was sitting on her desk. "That really got my mind racing, and then I started paying attention to all the angles in the room. It was perfectly planned out so that you would have the tactical advantage if you were sitting at your desk, let alone the rope that was tied to the balcony as an escape route and the mirror by the door so you could see outside without turning your head." He smiled at her amazed expression. "But the thing that really tipped me off was the sword hidden under your desk; I could see it in the reflection of that picture frame over there." He nodded with a smile. "Your voice though – even though I had my suspicions it still came as a bit of a shock." He turned to her and his trademark grin spread across his face.

"It's good to see you again Sephiria."

When Train finally arrived back at the apartment it was well past dark; the conversation with his ex-commander and now fellow ex-Chronos eraser, had gone on for far longer than he had anticipated, and had been a sight more enlightening and…opportunity-filled than he'd previously thought it would be. After seeing the way that Train had handled the Creed situation, both Sephiria and Belze had deserted the organization, disgusted at the way they had been operating and working under their masters for so long without question. Train grinned as he walked up the stairs, Sephiria's words surfacing in his mind.

**Flashback**

_She gave him a small grin. "So now Belze and I are living together, and we both have honest jobs – although we have been known to collect the odd bounty when we get a bit bored." Seeing Train's shocked look she grinned. "Oh I'm not a stranger to large age differences in relationships Train, and both Belze and I get along very well because of it: that's why I'm not against your relationship with Eve. In fact, I have a proposition that might just interest you…"_

**End Flashback**

He couldn't stop the stupid grin that spread at the thought, "Just wait until I tell Eve!" His grin clattered to the floor however, when he opened the front door and looked inside. It looked as if a hurricane had torn through the lounge, and with Sven's frantic pacing in the kitchen it looked as if he had been a part of it.

When he caught sight of Train standing dumbfounded at the door, he immediately began ranting, glaring at the closed door to Eve's room. "How could she keep this from us Train?" He picked up a mug from the bench and launched it across the room to smash into a shower of porcelain when it hit the wall. "And how could she date someone _that_ much older than her? God! By the look of that picture he's at _least_ five years older."

Train looked between the pacing man and the ruined living room in astonishment. "Did you do all this?"

Sven glared at Train. "Well I couldn't just sit here and do nothing! It's against the gentlemen's code to let a man take advantage of a young girl!"

"So you ruined the lounge and half of the dishware in the house?"

He mumbled in reply. "It seemed like a good idea at the time." Within moments however, he was once again ranting. "That man is taking adva-"

At this point, Train was getting rather agitated and he interrupted the furious green-haired man mid-sentence. "Did you ever consider that the man in the photograph isn't just trying to get in her pants? Did it ever occur to you that he might actually care for her, even love her?" With a stunned silence as Sven's answer, Train snorted. "Didn't think so." He made his way through the mess that used to be the living room and headed towards Eve's room.

Sven called after him. "It's no use Train; she's barricaded the door with her Nano machines." Train ignored the suited man and knocked softly on the door three times. There was a sliding sound from inside the room, and once it had subsided Train pulled down the handle and opened the door. Sven's mouth fell open and he made to follow Train into the young woman's room, but stopped when he caught sight of the ex-eraser's glare. The message was implicitly clear: _If you follow me, I hurt you._ Without saying a word, Train closed the door and watched as a shroud of black covered the door and –with a dull thump – sealed the room from the outside world.

As soon as they were cut off from Sven, Train found himself tackled to the floor, embraced by a sobbing Eve. He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed on the far side of the room and placing her between the sheets. He hesitated for a moment before stripping down to his boxers and joining her under the covers. Almost automatically she mounded her back to his chest, and his arms wrapped comfortingly around her waist, pulling her sobbing frame to his. Gently he stroked her hair until she calmed down enough for his soothing words to reach her ears. After a few moments her weak voice shakily echoed out in the silent room. "He hates me."

"No he doesn't." The complete lack of hesitation in Train's answer coupled with the certainty in his voice made Eve look up in shock. In the darkness Train chuckled at her surprised reaction against his chest. "He doesn't hate you at all; he hates the thought that a man is taking advantage of you."

"But you're not!"

He nodded and buried his head in the crook of her neck. "I know that, but he doesn't." Silence for a moment, and then Train had an idea. "We'll let him know that it's me."

She swung around in his hold and looked up at his barely visible face in the gloom, a look of alarm on her innocent features. "But he'll-"

"Be liable to beat me to within an inch of my life? Already accounted for that, and I wish him luck."

"But he'll kick-"

"Me out of the house? I wish him luck with that too, and even if he manages that I _do_ have a contingency plan."

"But he'll be…" She drifted off and Train's mood darkened slightly.

"Angry? I know he will, but he needs to understand that I'm not going to use you, that I'm not some sex-maniac that will take advantage of you." He pulled her tighter to his chest. "He needs to understand that I'll never let you go; that I'll never leave you." He paused before saying the next words, the words that he had never given nor received in his entire life. "That I love you."

A stunned silence filled the small room, and Train could see her wide-open eyes glittering in the darkness, her mouth slightly agape. "You…love _me_?" At his nod she swallowed. "And not as a friend?" He shook his head. "And not as a sister?"

He chuckled and gave her a gentle squeeze to refer to their current position. "I don't think brothers ever hold their sisters like this Eve."

"Then what do you see me as?"

He was silent for a moment, and then raised an eyebrow. "Honestly?" At her nod he took in a deep breath. "I see you as my best friend," Her shoulders slumped and he took immense pleasure in watching her expression when she realized that he wasn't finished. "I see you as my most precious person, I see you as my partner, my girlfriend, my lover." He planted a chaste kiss on her forehead, not missing the look of bewilderment on her face. "In two years I see you as being my wife, and in the distant future," he raised an eyebrow and stressed the first words of his next sentence, "In the _very distant future_ I see you as the mother of my children." He blushed slightly at the last part, but he didn't feel the need to hide anything from her: he wanted her to know his true intentions.

Again a silence followed Train's words, but a moment later Eve murmured something into his chest. "You really see me as that?" At his nod she smiled happily and buried her head in his chest, a muffled yell erupting from her lips a moment later. When she looked up at Train's face and saw his confused expression, she laughed merrily and mashed her lips against his before pulling back a moment later. "Train, I love you too!" Train had imagined those words coming from Eve's lips ever since they started dating, but no matter how many times he imagined it, actually hearing the words come from her mouth made the fantasies seem puny.

After getting over his shock, squeezing out the words, "You really love me?" observing Eve's timid but joyous nod, and then comprehending all of the events he finally engulfed his girlfriend in the most joy-filled embrace he had ever given, laughing in elation along with his lover. After the two had calmed down from the massive highs of their confessions to one another, Eve once again moulded her back to Train's chest, sighing happily when Train wrapped his arms around her breasts instead of her waist as he normally did. After what must've been nearly an hour of comfortable snuggling, Eve frowned as she remembered something Train had said earlier in the evening. "How were you going to let Sven know about us?"

"Have you unlocked the door?"

She frowned at the question and shook her head. "No, why?"

He grinned. "Just unlock it." The slight sliding sound reached his ears for the second time that night, and Eve nodded to him. In reply to her silent question, he snuggled down into the bedding, buried his head in the crook of her shoulder, and whispered to words. "Goodnight love."

She slowly turned to face his cheeky grin, an incredulous look on her face. "You're joking…right?" His continued grinning and slight shake of his head left no room for doubt, and Eve was still for a second. When she pulled herself from his protective embrace however, he began to wonder if he'd done something wrong. "Princess did I say some…"

His voice trailed off and his eyes widened as she took off her pyjamas; her creamy white skin clearly visible in the night, and the black bra and panties in harsh contrast with her seemingly glowing skin. She walked back towards the bed, slid back in-between the covers, curled her back to her lover's chest, forcefully returned his hands to her now near-naked chest, and sighed in contentment. At Trains delighted, but confused gurgle she let out a mock-stern voice. "Well we can't have Sven mistaking this for something that it isn't now, can we? I mean, it'd be terrible if he thought that you were just comforting me rather than loving me." She turned her head slightly, a mischievous grin on her lips. "Just making sure that the situation is blatantly clear love."

He chuckled to himself. "What have I done to you?"

Her reply was deadly serious, and filled with appreciation and happiness. "You loved me."

A comfortable silence followed her words, and it was ten minutes later that the black-haired man snuggled deeper into the embrace with a contented smile on his lips. "Goodnight Eve."

"Goodnight Train."

**A/N: And there it is folks! If you enjoyed it, it only takes a couple of seconds to write a review! Next chapter should be up within the next week or two.**

**Kenneth.**


	5. Chapter 5

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?"

It was hardly the good morning Train had been hoping for; he honestly would've preferred to wake up with Eve stroking his cheek or something along those lines rather that Sven's outraged yell – but some things just can't be helped. He felt Eve jerk awake on his chest and gave her a gently squeeze and a peck on the top of her head; completely ignoring the red-faced man at the door. "Good morning Eve."

She lifted her head slightly and stretched out, her eyes still closed. She brought her hands to her eye and rubbed the sleep out before revealing her violet orbs to the man beside her and giving him a loving smile. "Did you wake me up?"

He shook his head and calmly nodded in the direction of the door over her shoulder, yawning as he did so. "Nope, Sven apparently wanted to wake you up for school." She slowly turned her head to the side and looked at Sven, her eyes unsurprised and somewhat annoyed at his intrusion. Her attitude rapidly changed when she realized that the sheets had ridden down in the night, and now her underwear was completely visible to the furious green-haired sweeper's gaze. Not caring that he was already angry Eve let out a high pitched squeak, and a hand flew from her hair, pushed Sven violently outside, and then proceeded to slam the door in his face. Two, thick bars slid across the doorway, and Eve finally relaxed into Train's shoulder with a relieved sigh. "I really didn't want him to see that."

Train looked down at her slim body and felt a heated blush when he saw the creamy skin that seemed to stretch on for miles. _And she loves me – this beautiful woman loves me!_One thing that did manage to break through his giddy realization however, was the fact that he could now see her underwear…her very lacy underwear. "Eve…why do you have this kind of lingerie?"

She lowered her eyes and a cute blush spread across her cheeks. "I wanted to impress you."

Ignoring Sven's furious hammering and yelling, Train's eyes softened and he pulled her into a full-body hug. "I'll love you no matter what Eve, but if you want to do this for me then I'm hardly going to complain."

She slapped his arm playfully and rolled her eyes. "You pervert."

He chuckled lightly and held her at arm's length. "I just can't get enough of you: get used to it." He looked at the clock on her purple wall and glanced back at her. "You need to get ready for school." She nodded and was just about to throw on her school uniform when Train cleared his throat. She turned to him, confused, and he raised an eyebrow at the lingerie. "Perhaps not…" She looked down at her attire and blushed profusely before reaching for a plain white alternative. He turned his back – not sure if she wanted him to see _that_ just yet – and called back to her. "I think we'll eat out this morning; I have a feeling that Sven won't be too civil if we have breakfast here. I'll meet you out on the street, okay?" She nodded her head and hummed her agreement before dropping the bars securing the door.

Train burst through, forced Sven out of the way, and then slammed the door shut again, relaxing only when he heard the swish of the Nano machines re-establish their barring of the entrance to Eve's room. Walking quickly down to his own room, Sven – for the second time that day – found a door slammed violently in his face, and heard two metal clangs as Train slid the dual titanium rods into their housings, locking the unbelievably furious Sven outside in the hallway. He quickly rooted around in his closet until he located his old Chronos dress suit. He slipped on the black pants, the silky black top, the comfortable and highly practical jacket – in black of course – and managed to bring in some colour with a black and gold striped tie before slipping on a pair of smart, _black_, dress shoes. He looked at himself in the mirror and grinned at his appearance: wonderfully black and fireproof as all Chronos clothing was designed, and meant to be. Not wanting to face Sven again he grabbed a small ID card from the pants he had worn the previous night and opened his window before dropping down onto the street below. Once he had straightened up, his ears picked up a small, feminine gasp behind him and he turned around to face the now fully-dressed Eve with a grin.

"I never knew that you could dress like that!" He shrugged innocently and shot her an unreadable smile. She slitted her eyes suspiciously, "What are you all dressed up for?"

Not missing a beat, he answered her question. "Me? I just wanted to look good when I take my beautiful girlfriend to breakfast." She smiled at his compliment but constantly shot him questioning glances all the way to the diner, but got nothing in return. His smile was guarded, and he wasn't giving anything away; he was looking forward to surprising her too much to do that. The couple enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the street stall, only receiving a couple of surprised glances at their intertwined fingers, before Train dropped her off at the school gates with a quick, chaste kiss to her cheek. He watched her retreating back disappear into the student compound and gave a sigh of relief: it'd been hard acting like nothing was happening. He walked slowly across the courtyard towards the administration building and most certainly didn't miss the excited giggles of virtually every girl he passed saying how handsome he was.

Another sigh passed his lips: he'd have to make it blatantly clear in the first lesson if it was going to be like this. He breezed through reception, stopping the angry receptionist dead in her tracks with the ID card he had put in his pocket earlier that morning, and walked towards the principal's office before opening the door. What was inside he would rather not have seen, and let out a surprised gurgle before spinning around and slamming the door behind him, leaning his back against the hallway wall with wide eyes. After about ten seconds he turned back around to the door and knocked loudly on the door. The mumble of laughter reached him through the thick wood and he entered for the second time.

Belze stood behind Sephiria with a stone face, but the grin that he was trying to supress was making his lips twitch every few seconds. Train's answer to that was to slap a hand on his forehead before reprimanding the two. "If a student had've seen that there would've been trouble – at least lock the damn door wou-"

A cough from Belze interrupted him, and it sounded suspiciously like, "Student lover." Train's eyebrow rose slightly, but before he could shoot a smart comment back Sephiria interrupted the argument. "Now now you two, calm down: you're co-workers now, and we can't have you being hostile towards each other."

"But we were just joki-"

Belze cut himself off when he caught sight of her glare, and it was Train's turn to cough, once that sounded suspiciously like "Whipped!" Ignoring Train's comment, Sephiria continued. "Did you want something Heartnet?" He nodded and sat down in a chair before explaining his plan, which had the two people in front of him raising their eyebrows. At the end of his briefing, Sephiria leaned forwards in her chair. "And there won't be any casualties?" He shook his head and she sighed. "Isn't this a little bit extreme for your first self-defence lesson?"

He nodded his head. "Yes it is, but I have ulterior motives for doing this: to do with Eve and the bullying she's been receiving because of me."

After thinking for a couple of seconds the ex-head of Chronos nodded her approval. "Okay, you can do it." She reached into a drawer and handed his a sheaf of paper. "There are the specifications of your classroom: I'm sure you'll find it satisfactory." After a few more administrative issues had been taken care of, Train left the office and made his way to _his_ classroom. He smiled at the thought; lately he'd been able to call a lot of things 'his own': _his_ classroom, _his_ life, _his_ Princess, _his_ gun, _his_happiness, and now with Sephiria and Belze, _his_friends. And he wasn't forgetting a little something else that was his either, but that was for later – not that that stopped the grin from spreading across his face mind you.

He looked around the empty room with a sense of belonging, took off his jacket, pulled up his sleeves and got to work. After two hours of hard labour the bell rang, signalling the beginning of morning break, and Train's first meeting with the rest of the staff. Surprisingly it went very well, especially when Train and Belze began ripping into each other about their respective attire – Train calling his ex-leader a country bumpkin, while he got called a student pimp himself – all in good humour of course. After another hour of pilfering equipment from the PE department (which Belze was in charge of), his classroom was finally as he wanted it. As the lunch bell rang, Train collapsed into a chair in the outdoor teachers' garden, exhausted. After a moment of just enjoying the sun, he reached for his lunch and was just about to tuck in when a word from the other side of the bamboo wall made him freeze. "You whore!"

Train's ears twitched and he continued listening. When he heard Eve's voice ring sharply out afterwards however, his eyes widened. "Leave me alone!" Train knew Eve, and even if he didn't it wasn't hard to pick out the upset tone in her normally musical voice.

"I bet that man paid you for sex Eve!" Train's eyes slowly darkened, and when another girl joined in with the bullying, he was sorely tempted to leap over the wall and open fire with his pistol that was tucked securely in a shoulder holster. The insults kept coming, and he felt his heart begin to break when he heard her sobs – but he couldn't do anything without revealing himself.

He felt so guilty that he could've died, and his quiet whisper to himself was simply to harden his resolve. "Just one more hour love, just be strong for one more hour." It was only when the bell rung that the girls left Eve alone, and Train stealthily followed them back to their class making sure that Eve never knew he was there. Once the class had started it became blatantly obvious that school breaks weren't the only times Eve got bullied, and Train found himself grinding his teeth in fury: why hadn't she told him it was this bad? With only half an hour until his lesson he retreated from the balcony and walked slowly back to his classroom – once again catching the attention a few girls he passed in the hallway. Once he had closed the door behind him he began preparing for the class' ensuing madness. When Eve's class reached the schoolroom door, they found themselves faced with a notice pinned to the door.

**_Please come inside. I'll be 10 minutes late to class today as I have some errands to run._**

**_Mr H_**

The giggling girls entered the classroom, and Train listened from his hiding place as the conversation quickly turned to Eve and before long the insults and abuse began flowing. Eve however, wasn't paying attention to the hurtful words that were being thrown at her; her eyes had been flicking wildly around the room ever since she had spotted Train's tie lying conspicuously on the desk at the front. It was when one of the girls called his Princess a dirty, cheap whore that he snapped and set his plan in motion. It was lucky that Eve had been reaching for the knife strapped to her arm; else somebody might have been killed in the lethal bombardment that flew towards the girls a moment later. Without any warning Train leapt from his hiding place behind some crash mats and began firing at the defenceless girls with Hades. Immediately after he began shooting, five anti-personnel mines detonated and thousands of pieces of shrapnel sped towards the screaming group of girls. Train landed lightly on his feet and waited for the dust cloud to settle. When it did he gave the panting, blonde-haired girl a proud smile and caught her as she collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Gently he helped Eve over to his chair at the front of the room, and she sank into the leather with a grateful sigh. He softly cupped her cheek and gave her a peck on the forehead before turning to the assembled group of girls – the majority of who were still shaking in terror – and slipped his gun back in his holster.

"All of you nearly died." Complete, stunned silence met his words and he continued, motioning to his gun. "I fired real, lethal bullets at six of you." He pointed at the girls who he had aimed at and all of them shrank away from his outstretched finger. He then motioned at the pockmarked floor around them – thankfully bulletproof as Sephiria had assured him. "I then set off Claymore mines which sent tens of thousands of pieces of shrapnel flying at you…just to make sure I killed you all." Shocked, scared, and terrified looks faced him, and he pointed to Eve who was still panting in the chair. "If it wasn't for her you would all be dead, and I _mean_ dead." Acting as if he _hadn't_just attempted to murder all the students in his class he walked over to the whiteboard and wrote two words on the board with a flourish. _Mr Heartnet._

He paused for a second before spinning to one of the girls and pointing a finger at her, glad to see her flinch. "What is my name?"

"M-m-mister H-Heartnet." He nodded and turned to another one of the wide-eyed girls before asking the same question. Each time he got the same answer: -

"Mister H-Heartnet."

"M-m-m-mister He-Heartnet."

"Mister H-h-h-Heartnet."

The stutters varied, but when he turned to Eve he got a vastly different answer. "Train." He smiled at her and saw the thanks in her eyes; she knew exactly what he was doing for her.

He turned back to the group of girls and found them waiting for Eve's retribution at not calling him by the name written on the board. When it became clear that none was coming, one of the girls -who Train had picked out as the class bully the previous lesson-, began whining. "Why didn't you tell her off?"

She stressed the '_her'_, almost as if referring to an insect, and Train's face darkened. When he spoke, the anger in his voice was palpable. "I didn't tell her off for two reasons. You don't really have the right to know the second, but with the looks I've been receiving all day I think I'm going to need to spell it out anyways. I'll save that till last though." He pointed at Eve. "She saved your life by blocking the bullets and shrapnel with a knife, but why did she save you?" He conveniently forgot to mention the wall of Nano machines Eve had employed to block the metal fragments and looked at the annoying brat, awaiting her answer.

Not wanting to lose face in front of her peers, she shot train a snarky look and added a little bit of extra whine into her voice. "What do you mean?"

He glared at the ungrateful little girl and felt his blood boil, but he brought it under control before he actually drew his gun and shot her; he had promised Sephiria no casualties after all. "How do you treat Eve?" Her white face said it all, and the students who had recovered from their shock didn't miss her paling complexion, and many of the other girls were soon lowering their heads in guilt as they remembered their treatment of the beautiful blonde-haired girl. Train waited until the full weight of what Eve had done hit them before speaking once more. "Exactly. You made her cry, you called her a whore, you called her a cheap bitch, you did all the sorts of things that make life a misery, and yet she still saved you."

He pointed at the name on the board. "She doesn't have to call me that because I respect her: what she just did only furthers that." He glared at another one of the girls, the one who had said that Eve had had sex with him for money, and proceeded -with immense glee- to drop the bombshell. "And the second reason is because I'm her boyfriend." And what a bombshell it was.

A chuckle – one solitary chuckle – escaped the mouth of one of the girls before Train's serious expression and Eve's lack of objection froze the laughter in its tracks. About a minute later somebodies cell phone clicked open, and a few beeps later the entire group of girls – save for Eve – were crowded around the screen looking at the picture that had been taken the previous week; this one not conveniently blurred by the principal. Their eyes flicked between the screen and Train's face a few times before one of the girls – not surprisingly the one who had called Eve a whore at lunchtime – pointed accusingly at Train with a triumphant grin on her face. "Teachers aren't allowed to have relationships with students! My mum is on the board, I'll get you fired!" The annoying little twerp then proceeded to cross her arms and nod confidently.

The girls all turned to see Train's response to this threat, and he was happy to see a couple of the quitter-spoken ones smiling at both Eve and him when they saw his calm –and slightly amused- expression. Talking directly to the girl who had threatened him, he posed a question to her. "I am guessing that you are specifically talking about me favouring Eve in class?" At her nod he smiled. "Well I don't see that being a problem for two reasons: firstly, you are not graded in this class; this is simply a course to help you protect yourselves out on the streets." With a chuckle he raised his second finger and put forward his next point. "And secondly, I highly doubt I'll be teaching my girlfriend at all: I'd say that half my time will be spent trying to get you to move rather than gibbering incoherently when you're in danger."

He had hit her hard, and both he and the rest of the class knew it. Still seeing a chance at salvation however, she used her trump card. "Well that may be, but it states in the school rule book that teacher-student romantic relationships are strictly forbidden." Her point was reasonable, and very valid, and once again the entire class turned to him awaiting his answer. Even Eve was on the edge of her seat, anxious to see if he had all his bases covered: the prospect of being able to spend time with him at school _as well_ as at home had her in high spirits.

Train, even though he had been expecting the comment, turned grave. "You are correct; our relationship is very much in violation of the school code, and it could even – as you say- get me fired." The girl's face lit up, sensing victory, but her triumphant grin crashed to the floor and shattered into a million pieces when she caught sight of his merry grin. "It _would_ be a problem _if_ I didn't tell the principal about it before I started. It _would_ have been a problem if she hadn't gotten approval from the school board and it _defiantly would've_been a problem if she hadn't gotten approval from the Parents and Teachers association." He paused for a moment, and his last word – said with a large grin on his face – hit home for every girl in the room. "_If._"

It took a few seconds for it to sink in, but when it did several things happened almost simultaneously. Firstly, Eve let out an excited squeak and leapt into Train's arms before – with complete disregard for restraint whatsoever – pressing her lips firmly to his; the girl who had threatening Train with getting fired looking completely and utterly dejected; and the remaining girls who hadn't had a hand in bullying Eve all rushed over to the embracing couple and began spewing out torrents of questions.

After calming themselves down, and then the excited girls, Train stood up with his hand around Eve's shoulders. "So now the secret's out: I am dating Eve, and I'm allowed to – end of story. I'm not here to favour Eve – although as my girlfriend I _can_ and _will_ take certain liberties and I _do_ have certain privileges – I am here to teach you to defend yourselves…" And on the lesson went. Seemingly, the majority of the class actually liked Eve but had been too afraid to stand up to the bullies, and now that that problem was out of the way the majority of the girls were getting to know Eve a little better while she went around assisting them with various techniques. Finally the bell rung, and all of the class – save for Eve – filed out the door, chattering excitedly about the new couple and just the class in general. Once the door had clicked shut behind the last student, Train collapsed into the chair that Eve had been sitting in earlier, and was soon joined by that exact girl curling herself in his lap like a cat. Train groaned tiredly. "I never knew that teaching was so hard!"

Eve giggled. "Well it was your choice to come here." She looked up at the tired sweeper and her eyes softened. "Thank you."

He looked down at her, peering through a cracked open eye. "You should've told me it was that bad."

"It isn't that bad."

He raised an eyebrow and tilted her chin towards his face. "Anything that makes you cry like you did at lunch is bad." She tried to lower her head but Train kept her chin in his hand. "Just tell me if it ever happens again okay?"

"I want to be able to stand up for myself."

He nodded, "That's fine, but it's hard to withstand all that by yourself. If you had've told me about it, and said that you wanted to take care of it yourself then I would've let you – at least you would've had somebody to lean on if things ever got too heavy."

She was silent for a moment, but then nodded. "Okay." Train smiled and closed his eyes once again. "How did you even get to be a tea… unless she asked you last night?" At Train's nod she thought a second, and then fixed Train with a disappointed look. "So you lied about getting the board to agree about our relationship?"

His grin widened and he shook his head, chuckling when he saw her Eve's astonished expression. "Nope, I was telling the truth: that little brat is going to go home and ask her mother anyway, so if I lied then I'd be found out." He shrugged his shoulders. "Sephiria seems to be quite competent in manipulating the school in any way she sees fit."

Eve's eyes widened at the mention of No. 1's name, "She's the principal?"

Train nodded and got to his feet, pulling Eve up with him. "Yes she is, now we'd best stop putting it off and get back home to face Sven." At the mention of the elder-sweeper's name Eve's face dropped, and Train sighed while moving to pick up his coat and discarded tie. "I know, but we need to face him sooner or later: he's like a father to you, and he's like a brother to me – he deserves to know the whole story. Worst case scenario he kicks me out and I go to plan B, but I'd say that once he realises that I'm not joking about with your love then I think he'll be okay with us."

The violet-eyed blonde looked at him uncertainly. "Really?"

He gave her a cherry smile and took her hand in his before giving it a comforting squeeze. "Yes."


	6. Chapter 6

**Wow, it's been a while! Here's the next chapter; I hope you enjoy it, even if it is pretty short.**

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The couple paused outside the door, looking at each other nervously. "He's in there isn't he?" Train nodded and the young woman sighed. "He's going to throw something isn't he?" Once again Train nodded, and once again Eve sighed. "This isn't going to be fun is it?"

Train lowered his head and looked his lover in the eyes. "No." They stood there for a few more moments, but Train finally took a big sigh, mustered his courage, and took Eve's hand in his. "Let's go." And they opened the door. Train immediately pulled Eve behind him to protect her from the projectiles that were whistling through the air towards them. He managed to block the majority of flying cutlery, dishware and glasses that had assaulted him, save for a sharp knife that carved a thin, red line into his cheek.

Already on the offensive, he was about to search for Sven when a sharp crack echoed out in the room, followed by a high pitched screech. "BAKA! You could've killed him!" Train's eyes snapped to the lounge where the noise had come from, and his eyes widened at the sight. Silphy was sat on a chair holding a rolled up piece of newspaper, and Sven – glaring murderously at Train – was bound, gagged and clearly protesting, lying on the couch. Still glaring at Sven, Silphy gave him a suspicious look. "More to the point, how did you manage to set that up?"

After glowering at the green-haired man for a moment longer, Silphy turned to face Train and Eve – the latter whom was poking her head cautiously from behind the black-haired sweepers back. Eve felt something drop onto her face, and she looked upwards; gasping when she saw the not-so-shallow slice in Train's face. "Train, you're hurt!" It was if he had snapped out of a trance, and his hand immediately moved to put pressure on the wound while Eve rushed into her bedroom, coming back a moment later with a first aid kit. She pulled over a chair and sat him down before tenderly treating the cut, wiping it with an antiseptic pad before carefully placing a cotton pad over it and taping it in place. Forgetting that they had company in the room, Train cupped her cheek in her hand and placed a quick, thankful kiss on her forehead. Sven's increased muffled protests however, brought the pair back to the present.

Silphy was looking at them like she had just seen the cutest thing in the world, and Sven's anger seemed to have multiplied ten-fold, but alas only one of the two could speak because the other one was gagged. "Why don't you two come over here for a minute?"

Train nodded and took Eve's hand in his - very much aware of the glare he was receiving from the green-haired sweeper – and walked over to the couch the furthest from Sven before sitting down and pulling Eve onto his lap – once again to Sven's immense displeasure. He looked over at Silphy with a thankful smile. "Thanks for coming – if you weren't here I might have had to hurt Sven, and that's the last thing I'd want to do." He turned his gaze to Sven and returned the glower. "Apparently that courtesy isn't reciprocated however."

Eve looked up at him with wide eyes. "That actually sounded smart!"

His puffed his chest up comically – earning a giggle from Eve. "Well the teachers made it their goal to extend my vocabulary at lunchtime, so I'll finally be able to understand some of the things you say." He chuckled slightly before his expression turned serious and he looked over at the squirming sweeper. "So you are apparently still raging about my relationship with Eve?" Sven's muffled yells, glowering eyes and frantic writhing was all the answer that Train needed, and he sighed. "Well get bloody used to it Sven."

His wriggling stilled, and his expression was at least ten times more deadly. Silphy – seeing that things could easily get out of control – was about to jump in but Train gave a slight shake of his head and she sat down, an uneasy expression on her features. "Sven, why don't you like Train going out with me?"

She leaned over and tore the tape away from his mouth – apparently being gentle wasn't an overly big priority, and her slightly heated expression spoke volumes about just how annoyed she was at his disapproval. After yelling in protest at the rough removal of his gag, he spat out an answer. "He's just using your body to forget about Saya!"

The mood in the room immediately changed, and both Sven and Silphy flinched slightly at Train's seething expression – his pupils narrowed into slits and his mouth set in a snarl. "How dare you." Eve could feel his body shaking as he tried to keep his anger in check. She took his hand in his and squeezed it comfortingly, and although his shaking subsided his full fury was still directed at the man in front of him who for the first time in his life was faced with Train's lethal eyes. "She is nothing like Saya. I didn't ever consider Saya as more than a friend – and she was killed before I could even really call her that."

Seeing that he had really gone over the line, Sven tried to interrupt but a gunshot rang out in the room before he could say anything. A bullet hole smoked barely a centimetre above the sweepers head, and he wisely chose that moment to shut up.

"I'm not leaving her Sven; she means the world to me. I don't care if you see her as your daughter: I see her as everything. You didn't see, but she saved me: I was going to kill myself Sven; but I didn't – and all because Eve cared enough about me. She's my best friend, she's my lover, and she's my rock: she keeps me sane."

Silphy was listening to the conversation with wide eyes. "How long?"

Train turned to her and his eyes lost some of the malice and passion he'd been glaring at Sven with. "Three months." A small smile touched his lips. "The best three months of my life."

"And what have you done with her?"

He scratched his chin thoughtfully, his previous anger disappearing in an instant much to Eve's expectation; his moods were prone to changing in an instant. "Ummm…hugged, kissed, snuggled…" He paused and though hard for another couple of seconds before giving Silphy one of his famous smiles. "Yeah."

"That's it?"

Train frowned at her surprised tone. "Was I supposed to have done something else?"

She looked at him in amazement. "So you haven't…like…touched her br…" She trailed off and motioned to Eve's chest suggestively.

Train's eyebrows lifted and he looked at her with innocent eyes. "Ahhh. I thought that counted as snuggling?"

It was then that Sven looked like he was about set to murder the young, black-haired sweeper but Eve interjected, scolding the man whose lap she was sitting in. "You haven't touched them!"

He frowned and scratched his head. "But I thought-"

Eve turned to Silphy and rolled her eyes, a blush covering her features a moment later. "He's never…touched them…or it."

This time it was Silphy's turn to raise her eyebrows in understanding. "Ah, so you've always had clothes on?"

As Eve nodded, Train finally caught onto what he'd misunderstood and a surprised gurgle escaped his throat. "You meant that kind of touch?"

Sven – having calmed down now that he knew that Eve's virtue was untouched – managed to get a word in edgeways. "And how do I know that?"

Train glared at him. "You don't; you'll just have to trust that Eve and I wouldn't do that kind of thing unless we discussed it first and both agreed on it." He pointed to the doorway which they'd entered through, or more specifically the abundance of sharp objects imbedded in the wall around it. "I would, and will give my life to protect her. I didn't expect to have to do it in my own bloody apartment but I would, and I did." He waited for a few seconds before saying the words which he had said to one person only in his entire life. "I love her Sven."

A silence rocketed across the room; even the birds outside seemed to be holding their breath in anticipation. Eve gave her boyfriend's hand a squeeze - she knew it had taken a lot to say it in front of other people – before speaking herself. "And I love him."

Sven's eyes widened, Silphy looked damn near ready to leap on the couple and squeal in excitement, Train looked lovingly down at his girlfriend, and Eve was looking at Sven with no small measure of resolve. And then things began moving once again: the birds began singing, Sven struggled to get out of his bonds, and Silphy launched herself across the room – tackling both Eve and Train to the ground. "Awwwww! You two look so good together!"

Sven's apparent distress at the current situation clearly showed his disagreement, but with three pairs of eyes glaring at him he quickly shut up. Train smiled thankfully at the smiling woman and gave her a hug. "Thanks Silphy, it means a lot that you're accepting us."

Cue the glares at Sven who – by this time being the minority in the acceptance of their relationship, was looking rather uncomfortable. "Well I thought he was taking ad-" The looks he got from the two women clearly told his that that excuse simply wasn't going to cut it anymore, and he lowered his eyes. "Sorry Train."

He raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For the knives and stuff…"

Train looked over his shoulder at the – what used to be called a wall – but now more closely resembled Swiss cheese. He propped his legs up on the table and wrapped his arms around Eve's waist, his eyes closed and a pout on his lips. "It was your fault: you pay for it."

"No, what I meant wa-"

Train's glower stopped the green-haired sweeper dead in his tracks. "I. AM. NOT. PAYING."

"No Train! What I-" Seeing the black-haired man about to interject again he decided that yelling would probably be the best option. "I MEANT THAT I WAS SORRY FOR ATTACKING YOU AND BRINGING SAYA UP!"

Train's aloof mood evaporated almost instantly, and he looked over at Sven – serious but not angry. "Although it happened a long time ago it still hurts, so thanks for the apology." He looked over at the cutlery and glassware sticking out of the wall before turning around to face Sven once again, this time with a raised eyebrow. "That was a little over the top though."

He lowered his eyes sheepishly. "Yeah…it was a bit."

"So you're okay with Train and me dating?"

Sven's head shot up and his eyes became heated. "Now hold on a min…" His voice trailed off as he caught the three identical frowns being sent his way, and he sighed in defeat. "Fine…" he paused for a moment before looking Train right in the eyes, a threatening look in his eyes."But if you ever hurt Eve then I'll-"

"Beat me half to death? I'd be the first person knocking on your door so that you could."

Sven searched Train's face, and seeing only firm resolve there nodded. "Okay, but I'll be keeping an eye on you tw-"

"No love, you won't." Silphy smiled sweetly at him.

"What do you mean I won't?"

"I mean that you will not be spying on them or anything of the sort! They've both allowed us to have our relationship in private, and I expect you to do the same." Not giving Sven time to answer, she grabbed Eve by the hand and pulled her towards the door. "As for Eve and I, we have some…catching up to do!" and they were gone.

Train's hand was reached out towards where Eve had just been, but allowed it to drop to his side with a resigned sigh. "What a hypocrite. You know that she's going to interrogate Eve, don't you?" Sven gave a deep sigh and nodded sadly. Train grumbled for a few seconds, and then stood up from his chair – cutting Sven's bonds before collapsing onto one of the nearby chairs.

A silence spread across the room and Train was just starting to doze off when Sven's voice – measured and calm – reached Train's ears. "How serious are you about this Train?"

The black-haired sweeper paused for a moment, thinking for a couple of seconds before answering. "I'm going to tell you what I told Eve: I simply can't live without her. When she turns eighteen I am going to ask her to be my wife, and I am never going to leave her. She's everything to me." Sven looked at the young man in absolute amazement; the sincerity in his words astounded him – but he was not yet finished. He sat back in his chair with his arms behind his head. "I've never had a home. Ever since my parents died I've been running – never in the same place for more than a couple of weeks. I found my home in Eve: wherever she is I can be at home." He cracked open an eye to look at the stunned green-haired man. "And if you ever bring up what I just said ever again I will kill you."

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Silphy was sitting across from Eve in a café. It should be noted that Silphy was looking rather excited, and the blush on Eve's face would put even a tomato to shame.

"So you haven't done it?"

Eve shot her interrogator an annoyed look. "For the fifth time: NO. We haven't even talked about it."

"Well you need to."

"Why?"

"Because he wants it."

"And how do you know that?"

Silphy leered at Eve. "You should've seen the look in his eyes when he kissed you." This – much to the amusement of Silphy – caused Eve's face to turn even redder. She laughed at the young woman's expression. "I wouldn't worry though; although he wants you like that, I can tell that he wouldn't do anything of the sort unless you actually initiated it: he's too afraid of losing you."

Eve's eyes widened, "I wouldn't leave him if he told me that he wanted to go…" Her blush – which had died down in the past few seconds – came back full force, "further in our relationship."

"And have you told him that?"

"I-" She froze. She'd never told him just how she felt about him. She'd said that she loved him, but that was all. He'd told her everything: how he wanted to marry her, how he wanted to have children with her, how he wanted her in his life until the moment he died, but she had said nothing of the sort.

Silphy saw Eve's eyes widen and nodded to herself. "I didn't think so. You see Eve, Train has hardly led a life with a lot of love in it, and now that he has it with you he'll do anything to protect it and keep it safe – even if it means not voicing his desires. He's afraid of rejection, and although you've already told him that you love him he's still not sure just what that means." She stood up from her chair and nodded at Eve, a small smile on her lips. "You need to tell him – let him learn everything about you; you can't just take in a relationship.

"Do you want to go further with him?"

"I-I…" She lowered her head. "Yes."

Silphy gave her an understanding smile. "Well you definitely need to show him that you're willing, otherwise your relationship won't ever evolve into something more."

Leaving the confused girl at the table, Silphy paid the bill and –with one last, encouraging nod to Eve – left the small coffeehouse. Eve sat there for a full five minutes before getting pulled to her feet by a very excited Silphy. "Come with me, I know exactly how to get Train to take action!"


End file.
